Who is the Wizard of Oz in Wicked?

Wicked is a superhit American musical film directed by Jon M. Chu. The film is based on a musical play of the same name written by Winnie Holzman and Stephen Schwartz. The musical is based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel. The film is split into two parts, with the 1st one released on November 27, 2024, and the 2nd coming soon in 2025. The film's star cast includes Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, and others. With a star-studded cast and stunning visuals, Wicked became a major hit at the box office. The film was made with a budget of $150 million and earned over $723.6 million.

The film tells the untold story of the witches from the Land of Oz. The story takes place before Dorothy arrives in Oz and gives a different perspective on the classic tale. It follows Elphaba, the green-skinned girl, and her complicated friendship with Glinda the Good Witch. Elphaba faces discrimination because of her skin color. Everyone considers Elphaba to be wicked because of her color. Instead of showing her as a villain, Wicked shows how Elphaba was misunderstood and judged unfairly by everyone. The film has been nominated for many awards - 10 Academy Award nominations, 4 Golden Globe nominations, 7 BAFTA nominations, etc.

Who is the Wizard of Oz in Wicked?

In the original story, the Wizard of Oz is portrayed as a kind and wise ruler of Emerald City. In Wicked, the wizard is not the great and powerful ruler people believe him to be. Instead, he is just a regular man from Earth who ended up in Oz by accident. The Wizard plays a major role in Elphaba’s transformation into the Wicked Witch of the West. At first, she admires him and hopes he will help her make Oz a better place. However, the Wizard has no real magical powers, but he tricks the people of Oz into thinking he is a mighty wizard. Using clever words and illusions, he gains control over Emerald City and rules with manipulation and fear.

She soon learns the truth about his lies and refuses to follow his orders. He spreads lies to keep his power and turns the people of Oz against Elphaba, making them believe she is a wicked witch. Instead of being a kind and wise leader, the Wizard is actually a selfish and deceptive man who hides behind his false image. In the interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jeff Goldblum talked about his character and the message of the film and said, "Real power has to do with connection, the ability to make beautiful things, and impacting others positively." He added, "Around the world, leadership doesn’t always take the most enlightened path."

Also read: Cast of wicked

Who plays the Wizard of Oz in Wicked?

The Wizard of Oz in Wicked is played by Jeff Goldblum. Jeff Goldblum is an American actor, born on October 22, 1952, in Pennsylvania, United States. He made his acting debut in 1974 with Death Wish and he is best known for his roles in Jurassic Park (1993), Independence Day (1996), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), and many more. Goldblum is also known for his unique voice as he is a jazz musician who also has his own jazz band, The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra. He is known for his charismatic personality, and ability to play both funny and mysterious characters.

In an interview with Indiewire, Goldblum talked about how he played the role of The Wizard in the film. He said, “I’m like a jazz musician who doesn’t want to do like my students used to do, go ‘I don’t want to see anybody else do it, I want to make it my own.'” He further added about how he got help from the director to play the role and said, “That’s only gonna get in my way. I don’t believe in that. I saw it, I can make it my own. The real help was Chu and the conception of how what he was doing was different from the play, it helped create something, we hope, is a little distinct.”

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